Timber Framing Courses
Welcome to the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute, where our renowned timber framing classes and timber framing courses are designed to ignite your passion for carpentry and elevate your woodworking skills. Whether you are a beginner eager to learn timber framing or an advanced carpenter looking to refine your craft, our curriculum is built to challenge and inspire every participant.
A Community-Driven Learning Experience
At our institute, learning timber framing is more than just acquiring technical skills—it's about joining a vibrant community of woodworkers. Our community-focused approach means that every student, from novice to expert, will have the opportunity to work on tasks that match their skill level. Beginners will start with simpler tasks using basic timber framing tools like a chisel and saw, gradually progressing as they master each technique. Advanced carpenters, on the other hand, will engage in more complex projects, harnessing both traditional and modern techniques to refine their craft.
Hands-On Timber Framing Courses for All Skill Levels
Our timber framing courses are structured to provide a step-by-step learning experience:
Beginner Level: You will learn the fundamentals of carpentry, including how to safely handle essential timber framing tools. Through guided instruction, you'll learn timber framing techniques, starting with basic cuts and joinery using a chisel and saw.
Advanced Level: For the seasoned carpenter, our advanced modules incorporate challenging projects that utilize both traditional and modern techniques. These projects are designed to push your limits and expand your expertise in timber framing.
Chuck Gross cuts the ribbon at Hidden Lake Garden’s new Skywalk. This SBWI Timber Frame pavilion was installed at the entrance to the Skywalk in collaboration with MSU.
Build a Timber Frame Pavilion with a Purpose
One of the unique highlights of our courses is the community-style build project. All students collaborate as a team to layout, cut, assemble, and raise a timber frame pavilion. This project is not only an outstanding opportunity to learn timber framing but also a way to give back. Upon completion, the pavilion is donated to a local non-profit or park, creating a lasting benefit for the public and a tangible legacy of your hard work.
Why Choose Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute?
Expert Instruction: Our instructors are seasoned professionals with years of carpentry experience, dedicated to teaching you both the art and science of timber framing.
Comprehensive Curriculum: Our courses cover every aspect of timber framing, from basic tool use (like the chisel and saw) to sophisticated projects employing traditional and modern techniques.
Community Engagement: We believe in building a strong, supportive community where every member contributes to a collective project that leaves a positive impact on the local area.
Tailored Learning Experience: With tasks designed for every skill level, you can confidently progress at your own pace while mastering essential carpentry and timber framing skills.
Join us at the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute and discover how our timber framing classes and timber framing courses can transform your approach to carpentry. Learn timber framing in a supportive community environment, master the use of timber framing tools, and be part of a project that donates a timber frame pavilion to benefit your local community. Embrace the blend of traditional craftsmanship and modern innovation—enroll today and start your journey towards mastering the timeless art of woodworking.
Meet Your Instructors
ETHAN HIGGINS
TIMBER FRAMER
SPECIALIZATIONS
Timber frame construction
Barn Restoration
Hewn timber
Round log scribing
Ethan is a timber framer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Born in Eastern Massachusetts and learning the trade while working in Vermont, he was first brought to Michigan in 2017 to help his close friends build a new milking parlor on their 6th generation dairy farm. Ethan soon found a wide interest in his work - especially within the small farm community in Washtenaw County - and in 2019 started his own company, Roof Jumper Timber Frames (named for a barn on his family’s now defunct dairy farm). Since then, he has built and restored a variety of timber frame structures, many of which are working barns and agricultural buildings on small, family-owned farms. Ethan specializes in hewn, scribed, and full-round material, and has adopted a mission to not only promote the craft of timber framing, but also to work in line with the vision of what the world can look like when care is put into the food we grow, the buildings we construct, and the work we do every day.
JOE MILLER
PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER
SPECIALIZATIONS
Design, analysis and fabrication of traditional heavy timber structures
Licensed P.E.in MI, WI, MN, KS, MO, IN, IA, NC, GA, OK, TN. P.Eng. in BC, AB, and ON.
In 2009, before the ink dried on Joe’s Ph.D., he joined the Fire Tower team, where he will continue his groundbreaking work on keyed beams.
Joe’s interest in timber framing grew from a project he took on with his father, rebuilding an ancestral barn in southern Indiana. In Joe's freshman year at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, he attended a lecture by Ben Brungraber. Ben must have said something inspiring, because Joe ventured forth on an ambitious track that eventually led to a Masters in Civil Engineering at University of Wyoming. While in school, Joe conducted innovative research on the strength of wooden dowels - findings that significantly advanced the acceptance of timber frame construction among engineers and code officials.
Masters degree in hand, Joe had a two-year stint with Yankee Barn Homes in New Hampshire, doing engineering, lateral analysis, drafting and frame design. Next came a spell with Trillium Dell Timberworks in Illinois, where he refined his design, engineering and cutting skills in the shop. Meanwhile, Joe sought out a school where he could undertake intensive research on key laminatedcf beams. Michigan Technological University gave him the green light, and now Joe has a Doctorate of Philosophy in Civil Engineering for his analytic methodology for the design and engineering of keyed beams. Concurrent to his advanced studies, Joe privately consulted on timber frame designs and taught on-line courses for Norwich University in Advanced Structural Analysis.
Joe’s trailblazing through the industry has led him to Fire Tower, a team that shares his passion for extending the reach of solid sawn timber.
JACK WITHERINGTON
TIMBER FRAMER
SPECIALIZATIONS
Authentic Timber Framing
Looking back over the various careers, none have been more engaging and captivating than as an authentic American timber framer. Beginning with an intensive summer of study in 2000, the magic of crafting and raising timber structures has lasted 23 years, with the building and installing of some of the finest timber work in and around South Eastern Pennsylvania. Notable projects include work on Independence Hall (2009) restoration of a 109' suspension bridge and a traditional Japanese Dojo with natural arch logs spanning 36 feet. Learning the craft has taken Jack to both England--The Carpenters Fellowship and to Germany for roof framing coursework at the Rottweil Academy of Education in Rottweil. After two decades of timber frame design, crafting and raising experience, Jack now seeks to share this knowledge and know-how with the next generation of timber framers through teaching and instruction. If you can't find him in the workshop making something, you may find him on a trout stream with a fly rod or on a ski slope in between shifts as a National Ski Patroller.
Learn more about Jack’s company Methods & Materials Building Company by clicking here.
PATRICK MOORE
COMPAGNON PASSANT CHARPENTIER
SPECIALIZATIONS
Stereotomy
Preservation Carpentry
Patrick is Le Canadien 'L'Ami du Trait', the first North and South American Compagnon Passant Charpentier. His passion and ambition are to revive the "School of Practical Stereotomy Applied to Construction" founded by Compagnon Charpentier Pierre Guillon, (1871-1923). Mr. Guillon was a Master Carpenter, Professor, Mayor, and Freemasonic Dignitary. Patrick is North and South America's first and only Compagnon Passant Charpentier that completed the 'Tour-de-France' and was received by the 'Compagnons Passant Charpentier' (2013). He received a Masters from 'La Grande École des Hommes de Métier en Compagnonnage' in Carpentry. Patrick finished an apprenticeship program in Canada - Red seal certificate (2009) - and at St. Lawrence College - Advanced Carpentry Apprenticeship (2009). He received Algonquin College Diplomas - Heritage Masonry (2005) and Heritage Carpentry (2007) and has written articles on the Compagnonnage and Art du Trait for the Timber Framers Journal and Scantlings. He is registered with the CCQ and hold 'Carte de Competance' for Quebec. Patrick is a member of the Association des Compagnons du Devoir Guild in France, the Timber Framers Guild of North America, the Carpenter Fellowship in the U.K., The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America - Local 93, and the Heritage Carpentry Advisory Committee at the Algonquin College Perth Campus. Learn more about Patrick at www.historicalcarpentry.com